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MBB first round - Soy Technologies
Our client, Soy Technologies specializes in soy production and processing.The client harvests their soybean crops and processes the soybeans to extract the protein and create soybean meals that are later used for animal feed.Since the demand for soy protein has been steadily increasing in recent years, our client has been looking at more profitable alternatives to create different soybean products, but our client is unsure about the next steps since they would have to entirely change the current processing operations.The alternatives that our client is currently considering are:Producing soy milk which requires 45% of the extracted protein.Producing soy concentrate which requires 70% of the extracted protein.Producing soy isolate which requires 90% of the extracted protein.Our team has been asked to assist them in deciding which option would be best.
MBB Second Round - CodeWave employee turnover challenge
Assume our client is CodeWave, a large software development firm headquartered in Silicon Valley. The company has a solid reputation in the tech industry and has been in operation for over 15 years. Codewave currently employs approximately 3,000 people and has rapidly expanded in recent years. Recently, the company has had difficulty retaining software engineers. Over the last year, the turnover rate for software engineers has risen dramatically, with CodeWave having to fill approximately 200 vacant positions. Simultaneously, the HR department has noticed a significant increase in the average time to fill roles, which now stands at 80 days (the time it takes from when the position becomes available to when a new person is employed and begins working). The CEO of CodeWave requested that we assist the Head of HR in determining the root causes of this trend and identifying ways to reverse it.
TrendWardrobe
Our client is TrendWardrobe (TW), a clothing retailer in the US. It offers a wide range of fashionable clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. TW operates 200 stores across the top 50 cities in the US. These stores are typically spacious and situated in suburban areas. Additionally, TW has a robust online presence through its website, trendwardrobe.com. However, in the past two years, TW has experienced declining revenue compared to its competitors.A thorough analysis conducted by the strategy team at TrendWardrobe has revealed a significant decrease in customer visits. This indicates a decline in the number of unique shoppers visiting TW stores or making online purchases. Recognizing the need to reverse this trend and drive revenue growth, TrendWardrobe is exploring various measures to boost its performance over the next two years. The challenge for TrendWardrobe is to identify strategies and initiatives that will accelerate revenue growth and enable the company to regain its competitive position. By implementing effective measures, TrendWardrobe aims to attract more customers, increase sales, and catch up with its competitors in the clothing retail industry.
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BCG Final Round: Stadium Naming Rights
Our client is NeuBank, a neobank in the US. A soccer stadium in Ohio is offering exclusive naming rights, and NeuBank is considering bidding for them. The client wants to understand the following:If this is a good idea?How much they should bid?How to make the deal a win-win?NOTE that this case is very long and is meant for learning casing skills. If you intend to use it for mock practice then focus on very specific segments to complete it in time.Also check out the video solution at the bottom of this page for a step-by-step work-along and detailed explanantion
Bain + BCG - Hot Wheels WITH VIDEO SOLUTION
Problem definition: Our client is Korean Car Parts (KCP), a multi-national original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of car parts based in Korea. They've recently seen a decline in profits and have brought us in to understand how to address this falling profitability.========================================================To get a deep-dive explanation of the case leadership behind this case, please read this article: Candidate-Led Cases: What to Expect With Example CasesThis case is part one of a series. The goal of this series is to demonstrate how an identical case prompt (and corresponding framework) could lead to multiple different outcomes. The goal is to train you to adjust to case information in an agile and adaptable way.The 2nd part of the series can be found here:Case - BCG Hot Wheels Part 2 With Video Solution
MBB - Sky China
Sky China, a government-backed Chinese airline, has recently seen profits plummet due to COVID-19. Profits are down 80% in the months of February and March, but are showing early signs of a rebound in April. They've brought you in to first investigate what can be done immediatedly to prevent hemorrhaging cash and surive in the short-term. They are also looking to see how the current situation can be viewed as an opportunity, and what can be done to prepare for the future.
StyleScape responds to customer feedback (McKinsey final round)
Style Scape is a mid-sized retailer that sells clothing, accessories, and home goods through its physical stores and online platform. The business has been around for over a decade and has seen consistent growth in sales in its home market of the United States. Style Scape operates 30 stores nationwide, and its online platform is relatively new, having launched only two years ago.Despite healthy growth, the company's leadership has noticed an alarming decline in customer satisfaction ratings and an increase in customer complaints. They are concerned that these issues will harm the company's reputation and negatively impact its bottom line. The CEO of Style Scape has requested your assistance in determining the root causes of these issues and developing recommendations to address them.
Baby Formula
BabyformulaCo is a leading producer of baby formula with a 30% market share in the US that is looking for ways to increase their market share without significantly lowering profitability. Recently, a Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for low-income women and their children was introduced, which provides vouchers to purchase baby formula.The client is interested in bidding for the tender contracts but needs help in determining the appropriate bidding price.
Russell University - Fresh Attacker on the Online Education Market (McKinsey 1st round)
Russell University, located in the United Kingdom, is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world. They have been educating students for more than two centuries and provide a variety of undergraduate and graduate STEM-focused courses. In an effort to increase revenues and expand their reach, the university has recently begun offering three online postgraduate qualifications. Despite the quality of teaching and effort spent in developing these courses, the response from students in terms of sign-up rates has been modest. Russel University executives believe they are acting too slowly since other prestigious universities, particularly in the US, have successfully leveraged their brand to offer short and affordable online courses to a variety of people. Russell University has hired us to determine whether they should acquire Eduline, a well-established platform that offers STEM-related short courses to its subscribers. The university intends to use Eduline to offer courses on a subscription basis and will then issue online certificates to individuals who successfully complete its courses.
Hara Coffee Co's innovative coffee subscription model
Our client, Hara Coffee Company, is a large coffee chain with over 200 locations in the United Kingdom. They import beans from numerous regions and batch-roast them in the UK, offering customers a vast selection of premium blends. In addition to serving delicious coffee, our client offers freshly made sandwiches, pastries, and salads of the highest quality. Hara Coffee Co. is also one of the most socially and environmentally responsible coffee brands in the United Kingdom, and their value proposition heavily relies on customers paying a premium for delicious products that do not compromise on sustainability metrics.The rising cost of living has significantly reduced the revenue of coffee chains throughout the United Kingdom over the past year. People are increasingly choosing to brew their own coffee at home, with beans delivered by subscription. The CEO of Hara Coffee Company is intrigued by the expansion of coffee subscription models in the UK. They requested that our team investigate whether their chain could also introduce a coffee subscription model, in which customers pay a fixed monthly fee and receive a certain number of coffees throughout the month.
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GlowMobile Goes Digital (McKinsey first-round)
GlowMobile is a leading telecom operator with a strong presence in Southeast Asia. They sell regular products and services that any telecom operator would offer in their retail stores: cell phones, SIM cards, subscriptions, etc.Even though the number of digital customers in the region has grown exponentially, currently GlowMobile does not have an online presence and customers must go in person to retail stores for every interaction with the operator. In the past years, they have been losing a lot of customers due to bad customer experience.GlowMobile has asked our team to improve customer satisfaction through digitization. Specifically, they want us to help improve and digitize their operations and prepare a proof of concept for a digital customer journey for customers.The CEO believes that opening their digital channel would minimize the loss of customers due to bad customer experience and solidify their position as market leader. Right now, a digital journey does not exist.
The Jaywalking Case
The Government of Spain has tasked the City of Barcelona to increase their revenue generated from the City.Thus, in order to generate more revenue, the Local Government of Barcelona has engaged our firm to examine the viability of passing a new law imposing a fine on jaywalking violations.How should we approach this?
McKinsey 1st Round Case - Party Burger
Our client is Party Burger, a restaurant chain in the US serving premium burgers and salads for lunch. They rely on the quality of their products to attract customers, and they are usually fully booked. However, reviews have pointed out that the service offered could be improved. Our client is concerned this could impact their sustainability long term.
MBB 1st Round Case - Hazella Light
Our client is an Italian multinational manufacturer of branded chocolate and confectionery products. One of their most popular products is Hazella, a hazelnut spread.Despite its worldwide popularity, Hazella is considered to be high in calories by some customers. For this reason, our client has developed a new version of the spread, Hazella Light, and is assessing whether they should launch it in the Italian market.
BCG Final Round Case - Sugar to Indonesia
Our client is an Indian sugar producer exporting solely to Indonesia. Indonesia imports 5m tons of raw sugar per year.To make raw sugar, our client processes sugarcane at a cost of $25 per ton and they have a capacity of 1.5m tons per year. The only competitor that has lower production costs is from Thailand, and it delivers 1.7m tons per year at a cost of $20 per ton.Our client recently found out that the Thai producer will expand its production to 2m tons, and as a consequence the market price for sugar in Indonesia may drop.They contacted us to assess this situation.
Poliglot Language App Needs Users
Let’s assume our client is Poliglot, a popular language app. Poliglot is five years old, originally from the US, but available worldwide. The app currently offers the possibility of learning over twenty languages for free, with extra benefits (e.g., no ads, additional exercises) available to premium members.Historically, the app has been very successful and has seen significant growth over the past few years. However, over the past year, the app noticed a stagnating usage and app adoption. Considering that the market is very competitive, the client expects a decline in the customer base unless the root causes are identified and addressed. As a consequence, the CEO of the company that owns the app asked us to support them in figuring out the reasons for the decline and laying out a plan for growth.
Swiss Coffins – The Death Business
Your client is the CEO of a coffin manufacturing company based in Geneva, Switzerland (Europe). The company has existed with little changes to the business model for three generations, manufacturing high-quality, hand-crafted coffins, with a highly skilled and specialized labor force. The industry has been recently disrupted by new technologies that no longer need human manufacturing: machines can manufacture faster and cheaper. Your client needs your help in deciding whether to invest in this technology and transform his business, or remain in the hand-manufactured business for coffins*Note: On top of this initial question that focuses on the strategy and should be tackled by the candidate with an issue tree, the case includes more questions that can be found in the "Detailed solutions" and "Difficult questions" boxes below, with the correspondent proposed answers.
Merger of two beer manufacturers
Our clients are two beer manufacturers from a well-developed country who just decided to merge. We can call them Company A and Company B. The decision about the merger has already been taken and our clients are certain it will soon be approved by regulators.What is expected from you is to help them with two objectives: Firstly, they would like you to help them decrease the costs of their post-merger operations. Secondly, they would like you to help them develop a new marketing strategy.How would you like to go about helping our clients?
Bain 1st Round Case – BlissOttica
Our client is a BlissOttica, an Eyewear Manufacturer that is looking to reach a 10% increase in profits. How would you help our client?
MBB Case: JimboTel
Our client is JimboTel, an African mobile telecom company with operations in four West African countries: Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana and Sierra Leone. JimboTel has experienced revenue declines in the last two years.How can JimboTel grow its revenues organically in the next year?
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